Stephen is the CTTC Executive Director of New Venture Development.
Stephen joined CTTC in May 2024 and is responsible for leading the New Ventures team in their efforts to advance entrepreneurship and new venture creation and support programs across the Vanderbilt campus, in the greater Nashville area, and throughout Tennessee. He works closely with the CTTC unit directors of Licensing and Industry Collaborations and their teams, as well as key university leaders, administrators, and faculty, to identify promising technologies, assess market potential, secure IP, build management teams, and attract funding to accelerate commercialization
We caught up with Stephen to learn more about his contributions in the Vanderbilt innovation system.
What inspired you to join the CTTC and lead its New Ventures team?
The exceptional research faculty, the commitment of university leadership to innovation, and the CTTC team itself all served as inspiration for my move to Nashville and Vanderbilt. As one of the top research universities in the country, Vanderbilt’s reputation for excellence was of course well-known to me. Nashville and Tennessee were already on my radar screen as places I might want to settle in the future. But mostly the people. The people at CTTC are brilliant, with a shared mission and a commitment to excellence that makes it a pleasure to come to work every day.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your role?
Helping take cutting edge innovations that benefit society to the marketplace, be it in human physical and mental health or for the health of our planet, is our greatest reward. I realized early on in my career that I wasn’t the “genius” whose technology would change the world. But I can act as a catalyst to those who do have that vision to innovate at the highest level.
What areas or new initiatives are you most excited about?
Our Innovation Catalyst Fund has been a game-changer for translational research, and I’d like to add another tier to that to address the next stage of milestones that follow. Expanding our access to venture capital both in the southeast and nationwide must come on the heels of that funding, and the Southeast Venture Showcase is helping us to do just that. Developing a robust Entrepreneur-in-Residence program that provides meaningful mentorship to faculty and accelerates company formation is another opportunity for us. I look forward to contributing significantly as Vanderbilt continues to expand our innovation footprint.
How do you recharge outside of work?
For my wife and I, live music and international travel take up most of our time away from the office. We’re quickly adapting to (and enjoying) all that Nashville has to offer. Europe is our usual destination of choice (my wife is Greek; I’m of Scottish/Swiss descent), although we set no limits. And with all that travel, wine somehow always manages to enter the picture!
What is a fun fact about you?
My (now) wife and I have both always saved our concert ticket stubs. We discovered we were once at the same concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado – but wouldn’t meet for another 25 years!